Anesthesiology & Pain Management Residency Program

Program Description

The University of Florida offers a three year clinical residency program in Veterinary Anesthesiology and Pain Management (primarily perioperative pain management). In addition, there are opportunities to work with specialists in acupuncture to gain an understanding the role of this modality in pain management in companion animals (including horses). There is a dedicated physical therapy and rehabilitation facility (underwater treadmill, laser therapy, shock wave therapy). There are four ACVAA diplomate faculty members at the College of Veterinary Medicine in support of the program. The resident will spend 75-80% of his/her time performing clinical work under the supervision of board certified veterinary anesthesiologists. The resident will participate in after-hours emergency duty for the anesthesia service. Included in the clinical assignment is time spent on outside rotations such as but not limited to cardiology, critical care, neonatal foal unit, internal medicine, human anesthesiology and traditional Chinese Medicine, including acupuncture. The remaining time will be spent on research, manuscript preparation, seminars, and independent study.

The resident is required to attend anesthesia and analgesia resident rounds each week. The resident will be assigned reading material each week for review and discussion with the faculty in anesthesia and pain management rounds held on Monday mornings. A service journal club will be held monthly in which the resident is expected to participate in journal presentation and discussion.

Within the College, resident seminars are given weekly throughout the academic year. The resident will be expected to attend these seminars and to present at least one seminar per year with emphasis on an anesthesia topic.

The resident will also have the opportunity to attend the anesthesia lectures given by the faculty members of the College of Medicine – these sessions are held each morning for the residents in the medical anesthesiology residency program at Shands, (University of Florida) hospital.

The resident will participate in the clinical instruction of junior and senior students including case management and informal rounds. The resident will be assigned lectures in the courses presented by the anesthesia faculty members. Minimal participation in clinical instruction will be expected in the first year of the residency. The resident will be given guidance in the development of teaching skills.

Each resident will be required to perform a research project which can either be a basic science or a clinical research project. A manuscript should be prepared and submitted to a refereed journal demonstrating results of the research project. The resident is encouraged to present a research abstract at the annual American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA) or European College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ECVAA) scientific meetings.

Goals and objectives

The residency program at the University of Florida is designed to meet the requirements of the ACVAA for board certification. It is expected that residents will work toward board certification throughout their training program at the University of Florida.

Goal

To prepare the individual to function as a proficient qualified practitioner of veterinary anesthesiology at the highest level of performance as a specialist.

Objectives

To provide the resident with the opportunity to learn in depth the fundamentals of basic science as applied to the practice of anesthesiology.

To provide the resident with experience in pre-anesthetic, peri-anesthetic, and immediate post-anesthetic care of animals in the areas that constitute the components of veterinary anesthesiology.

To provide the resident with a comprehensive understanding of acute pain and techniques to prevent and alleviate this in animals. Residents are also exposed to cases dealing with chronic and maladaptive pain.

To provide the resident with a suitable environment to facilitate his/her training expectations, which include committed faculty, support staff and administration, appropriate resources and facilities, and appropriate animal case load.

Resident selection procedure

A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree or equivalent is a prerequisite in addition to the completion of a rotating internship or equivalent training (equivalent training must be accepted by the ACVAA). Anesthesia faculty and residents evaluate the application pool and final selection of the resident is done via the Veterinary Intern/Resident Matching Program. Selection will be based on:

The individual’s curriculum vitae including transcripts

A statement of interest

Reference letters from a minimum of three qualified individuals

Prior veterinary experience

Previous scholarly activities

Optional interview

Program Contact

Interviews are encouraged, but not required. These are scheduled with advanced notice. Please contact Dr. Fernando Garcia-Pereira, the program coordinator, to request an interview.

Caseload

The following information represents the average number of cases in direct support of this program. There are four faculty/clinicians in direct support of the program.

Total No. Annual Cases

Average Daily No. Cases Presented to Hospital

Average No. Cases Treated Daily as Outpatients

Average No. of Inpatients Each Day

Average No. Daily Surgeries Performed

Average No. of Emergency Cases Seen Daily

3866

20

8

2

7

1

Registered/Licensed/Certified Veterinary Technicians

In Direct Support of Program

Assigned to the Emergency Service per shift

Assigned to the Intensive Care Unit per shift

8

1

0

Benefits

Vacation: Residents are allowed 15 working days of vacation per year, to be taken at times arranged with the Anesthesia faculty. Vacation time is to be taken when the resident is not expected to be on clinics or emergency duty. Requests should be made on the standard University Leave forms well in advance, and must be signed by the Resident Program Coordinator or Service Chiefs as well as the Large Animal Clinical Sciences Department Chair.

Insurance: The College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida is also proud to offer a very rich benefits package for our Residents. The 100% employer-paid package includes a multitude of coverages including; medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death & dismemberment, disability, pet, legal, cancer, long term disability, and accident (out of pocket) insurance. With most of the plans, there is also the option to include your family on the coverage at no extra cost to the Resident.

Meetings: Residents are encouraged to attend one specialty or national meeting each year. The CVM provides $500/year to help defray the cost of these meetings.

Additional Information

Additional information regarding certification requirements is available through the ACVAA: http://www.acvaa.org/

As part of both the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and the Academic Health Center, Veterinary Medicine is dedicated to advancing animal, human and environmental health through teaching, research, extension and patient care.

Need animal care? Visit the UF Small Animal and Large Animal Hospitals. From dogs, cats, birds and exotics to horses, cattle, llamas, pigs and many other large farm or food animals, our experienced veterinarian staff is ready to assist.